After going 0-7 in North America, specifically the U.S., the Dolphins, predictably, lost the first regular-season game played in Europe, specifically London, England.

It was tea, crumpets and sorrow for the lowly Dolphins after they lost 13-10 to the surging New York Giants in a game played at historic Wembley Stadium.

The game was played, naturally enough, in a steady drizzle which, coupled with the thin, short turf at Wembley, made for a very slick field.

On the sidelines, players were switching cleats in an effort to get a grip, causing the TV announcers to comment that it looked "like a NASCAR pit stop".

The poor Dolphins had something going in the final minute of the first half, but quarterback Cleo Lemon lost his grip on the ball while setting up to throw and it was recovered by Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. That set up a field goal with two seconds left in the half, giving New York a 13-0 lead and, given the weather, that was that.

In the second half, the Dolphins tried to make a game out of it, but it was too little, too late.

On the other side of the field, the Giants, after losing their first two games, have now won six in a row to keep the heat on the Dallas Cowboys, who were idle this week.

Giants fans should, however, hold off on making Super Bowl plans just yet as they have built their record by beating up the dregs of the league.

Their past four wins have come against heavyweights such as the Jets, the Falcons, the 49ers and the Dolphins.

A bigger test for Eli Manning, who had just 58 yards passing yesterday, and the Giants will be Nov. 11 when they play host to Dallas. The Giants will be entering the game off a bye week.

Let the hype begin

Both the Colts, 8-0, and the Patriots, 7-0, won yesterday, as expected, to set up a clash of the titans next week in Indianapolis.

Peyton Manning beat Carolina easily 31-7 in what was supposed to be a tough tuneup while Tom Brady and the Pats routed Washington 52-7.

This game will be billed as the first Super Bowl of the season and with the expected buildup and overkill, all fans should be nauseous well before game time.

The winner should get home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs. The Pats are an early 41/2-point favourite.

Lions roar

The Lions may have made believers out of a few more fans yesterday with their 16-7 victory over the Bears in Chicago.

With the win, the Lions moved to 5-2 and improved their road record to 2-2.

A year ago, the Bears crushed the Lions 34-7 in Chicago, while in 2005 it was a 38-6 slaughter. This was just the second win for Detroit in Chicago in their past seven visits.

But now the shoe is on the other foot as the Lions have won both meetings against their divisional rival this year.

Last week, Bears quarterback Brian Griese was the hero with his last-minute TD drive that downed the Eagles.

Yesterday, he was the goat. The veteran QB was picked off four times as the Bears dropped to 3-5.

How bad were the Bears?

Well, in the first half, they totalled all of 118 yards and came up empty in their lone foray inside the red zone when a drive stalled and Robbie Gould was wide on a 40-yard field goal attempt. On the day, Griese was just 22-for-40 and 194 yards.

The Lions, meanwhile, could be playoff bound after going 3-13 last year. They have not been in the playoffs since 1997 with their most recent playoff victory coming in '92.

Browns fly high

Miami isn't the lone winless team this season, as the Rams also fell to 0-8 with a 27-20 home loss to the improving Cleveland Browns.

This loss had to hurt a little more for the Rams as they raced to a 14-0 lead before Browns quarterback Derek Anderson found his groove.

Anderson seems to be improving with each outing and yesterday he was 18-for-25 for 248 yards and three TDs. On the season, he has thrown for 1,744 yards with 17 TDs and just eight interceptions.

It was also the 4-3 Browns' first win on the road against two losses.

The Rams, meanwhile, may be a better bet than the Dolphins to not win a game this season. Their best chance for a victory might be Nov. 18 when they travel to San Francisco to face the offensively challenged 49ers. If they don't win that one, then there's a home game against the Falcons on Dec. 2.